 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-12-07 07:22
I heard the Philadelphia Orchestra give an amazing performance of the complete version of The Firebird last night. I've never heard or played it - only the 1919 suite. The original 1910 ballet has twice the number of wind parts and three harps.
It was ear-opening - there is so much more music than the suite includes and it greatly clarifies the music's place in the context of Stravinsky's evolution from Russian exoticism to what were at the time the revolutionary sounds 3 years later of The Rite of Spring.
There are countless differences even in the parts that are familiar between the 1919 version and the original, not all of them to do with orchestration. But I was curious enough to spend some time tonight with the 1910 clarinet parts and score that are available on IMSLP. If hearing opened my ears last night, seeing certainly opened my eyes to some of the cost of Stravinsky's editing to produce the suite.
I've only really looked at the clarinet parts and haven't yet had a chance to play through them, but just on their face the original parts look incredibly more idiomatic and playable. With four clarinets technical passage work is more distributed and with a D piccolo clarinet a lot the things that most of us practice so much to play in the Variation and the Infernal Dance are much less daunting and fall better under the fingers. It's still not for the faint of heart, but it's far less awkward than what ended up in the two clarinet parts in the suite. For one obvious example, those insanely quick and awkward arpeggios starting at #15 in the suite replace two of the harp parts in the original. The clarinets and other woodwinds have more playable sixteenth note passages that are completely missing from the suite.
It's interesting (and we should probably be very grateful) that he didn't attempt the same treatment for Petrushka or Le Sacre.
Karl
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Author: rmk54
Date: 2015-12-07 17:12
Although the 1947 version of Petroushka (3 clarinet parts) is a bit more difficult than the 1911 original (4 clarinet parts).
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-12-07 17:46
rmk54 wrote:
> Although the 1947 version of Petroushka (3 clarinet parts) is a
> bit more difficult than the 1911 original (4 clarinet parts).
So, I guess the question is: did the economy of orchestration of the 1919 score force the greater difficulty of the parts or, after the additional years of experience did Stravinsky just become more sadistic?
I haven't played the 1947 suite, either, and I imagine it's still protected so it would be hard to see a copy unless I were involved in a performance; also that it isn't done as often as 1919 *because* it's still rental only and more expensive?
Karl
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Author: rmk54
Date: 2015-12-07 23:35
kdk, I think you are confusing Firebird and Petrouschka.
There are 4 versions of Firebird:
1910 ballet
1911 suite (same instrumentation as ballet)
1919 suite
1945 suite
The 1919 version is usually performed because of its smaller instrumentation and the fact that it is PD.
There are 2 versions of Petrouschka:
1911
1947
The 1947 version is usually performed even though it is still copyright protected because of the smaller instrumentation.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-12-08 00:03
Yes, I meant the later 1945 suite, but when I saw your reference to the 1947 version of Petroushka it wormed its way into my brain.
Karl
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2015-12-08 02:47
They are ALL hard to play! I have to add The Rite of Spring to the list of difficulty.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: rmk54
Date: 2015-12-08 05:50
Really?
Maybe for the Eb/D part, but the other four parts are quite easy and not all that exposed.
Even the Sacrificial Dance is not that hard as long as you have a decent conductor and understand the phrasing.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2015-12-08 06:22
rmk54, what piece or pieces are you referring to? Thanks! Perhaps I'm just scared of some of the Stravinsky parts. I seem to always play a wrong note somewhere with all of his pieces.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2015-12-09 18:15
For sure the bass clarinet part in the original ballet is much more difficult than it is in the suite. :-).
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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